Beowulf
Feature Menu
Introducing the Epic
Literary Focus: The Epic Hero
The Poetry of Beowulf: Caesuras,
Alliteration, and Kennings
Beowulf
Beowulf
Introducing the Epic
Beowulf is
• the first great work of
English national literature.
• the epic story of the hero
Beowulf, who fights the
demonic monster
Grendel.
Beowulf
Introducing the Epic
People
Beowulf: nephew of Higlac,
king of the Geats.
Hrothgar: king of the
Danes.
Wiglaf: a Geat warrior,
one of Beowulf’s select
band and the only one to
help him in his final fight
with the dragon.
Beowulf
Introducing the Epic
Monsters
Grendel: man-eating
monster who lives at the
bottom of a foul mere, or
mountain lake.
Grendel’s mother: waterwitch who seeks revenge.
Dragon: giant fire-breathing
serpent whom Beowulf fights
in Part Two of the epic.
Beowulf
Introducing the Epic
Places
Beowulf takes place in
Scandinavia.
Scholars think Herot
might have been built
on the coast of
Zealand, in Denmark.
Scandinavia
Britain
Beowulf
Introducing the Epic
Places
Herot: the golden
guest hall built by
King Hrothgar where
warriors gathered to
celebrate.
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Beowulf
Literary Focus: The Epic Hero
The epic hero is the
central figure in a long
narrative that reflects the
values and heroic ideals of
a particular society.
An epic is a quest story on
a grand scale.
Beowulf
Literary Focus: The Epic Hero
Beowulf is one of ancient England’s heroes.
Other times and other
cultures have had other
heroes.
King Arthur
Joan of Arc
Beowulf
Literary Focus: The Epic Hero
In modern America, the hero may be a real person
or a fictional character.
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Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Beowulf was composed in Old English, which
uses a caesura, or rhythmic pause, to create
unity.
Locate the caesura in these lines:
ða com of more
Grendel gongan,
mynte se manscaða
sumne besyrwan
under misthleoþum
godes yrre bær;
manna cynnes
in sele þam hean.
Line divided into two parts by a caesura.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Here are the same lines in modern English from
Burton Raffel’s translation:
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred,
Grendel came, hoping to kill
Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
Punctuation reproduces pause effect of the caesura.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
The Anglo-Saxon oral poet also used the poetic
device of alliteration.
Grendel gongan,
mynte se manscaða
godes yrre bær;
manna cynnes
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds
in words close together.
And with old woes new wail my dear
time’s waste.
The emphasis on the w sound in this line from
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 creates a melancholy
tone.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Find examples of alliteration in Burton Raffel’s
translation of lines 1-5:
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred,
Grendel came, hoping to kill
Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Find examples of alliteration in Burton Raffel’s
translation of lines 1-5:
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred,
Grendel came, hoping to kill
Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
The kenning is another poetic device that was
used by the oral poet.
Examples of kennings from Beowulf:
gold-shining hall= Herot
guardian of crime = Grendel
strong-hearted wakeful sleeper = Beowulf
cave-guard and sky-borne foe = dragon
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Kenning: a metaphorical phrase or compound
word used to name a person, place, thing, or
event indirectly.
A kenning enhances the literal meaning of the
words. A kenning gives the listener an idea of how
the words connect to an idea or concept that is
richer and more emotionally complex.
Beowulf
The Poetry of Beowulf
Create modern-day kennings for things you see
around you.
giver of words
word-wand
?
?
?
?
[End of Section]
Beowulf
Background
Beowulf is an oral
epic passed from
bard to bard.
Harpist-bards told
the familiar story
for audiences in
the communal halls
at night.
Written down
between 700 and
750.
Reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village in
West Stow, England, with communal hall
on the left.
Beowulf
Background
Who wrote it down?
Theory:
The poet who wrote Beowulf down
may have been a Northumbrian
monk.
Evidence:
• scenery described resembles
Northumbria (northeastern
England)
• Christian elements in epic
[End of Section]
Quickwrite
Beowulf
Quickwrite
Make the Connection
Write about a contemporary hero, real or fictional,
and the challenges he or she faces. Describe your hero,
and then briefly analyze him or her using these
questions:
•What sort of evil or oppression does your hero
confront?
•Why does he or she confront evil? What’s the
motivation?
•For whom does your hero confront evil?
•What virtues does your hero represent?
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
Beowulf
Vocabulary
Previewing the Vocabulary
resolute adj.: determined.
vehemently adv.: violently
infallible adj.: unable to fail or be wrong
furled v.: rolled up.
lavish adj.: extravagant
assail v.: attack
extolled v.: praised
Beowulf
Vocabulary
Previewing the Vocabulary: Activity
resolute
furled
vehemently
extolled
lavish
assail
infallible
Which Word……
furled
• is often used in reference to a flag?________
resolute
• describes someone who is stubborn?________
• describes how someone might argue about a subject he
vehemently
or she feels strongly about?___________
extolled
• is a synonym for praised? __________
infallible
• describes someone who cannot fail?_________
lavish
• describes someone who gives generous gifts?________
assail
• is another way of saying attack? ________
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